i also got four of these rubber boots from harbor freight. looks like a good idea.

 

+1 on DavesZ#3 mentioning the usage of ramps to access the center lift point. If you don't have any ramps, try what I do:

Whenever I do my oil changes, I jack up the car from one side (positioning the jack behind the front tire), and then once the car is lifted up, I put a jackstand at the frame support thingy (not the outer edge near the rail thingy).

Then I get my jack and find the center jacking point and jack the car up so both front tires are off the ground. I am then able to position the other jackstand on the opposite side.

As you can see from these pics below, I have my jackstands towards the inside of the car supporting the inner frame. They're not on the outer edge rail thingy. The car is firm and is safe on this setup.

 

Man, I'm not sure how stable the 1st & last pics are? Especially the last pic, couldn't tell from the angle.

 

No frame on our car. Just formed sheet metal.

It would be "less bad" if you where using the flange instead. But not much.

If the area where you're lifting deforms, you'll have created a hinge where the whole floor can bend. If you're tracking your car, you don't want that kind of things.

Just so you know I'm not making this up: I'm a body designer. I design unibodies for a living. Jacking the car to far from the jack points is not a good idea.

 

yeah, the pics were a pretty weird contrast, i agree. if you ever get the chance to look under the front of the car. it is on the front cross member, right next to where the transverse link (lower arm) connects to it. it is in between the grooves and it's very thick metal (it's a cross member). the force is directly vertical. kolia, what do you think?

 

I'm not sure about the second one. With the stand resting on one side of the suspension mount.

The other position should be plenty strong. As long as it is stable you should be fine.

 

thanks for your input. it is very stable. the reason i didn't go across the whole cross member was that my stands couldn't. i'll try to find another way.

 

It's my considered opinion that you want the largest, thickest pieces of metal under there resting on the stands. There are a couple of places under there that look great to me. N1ck! showed a couple of them. I'd use suspension points and areas of subframe long before I'd consider the sheet metal under the doors. Where the subframe meets the body is a strong area, too. Where I put the stands depends on what I'm going to do under there. It's good to have some choices so the stands aren't in the way.

Asterix

 

Agreed

I dont own a Z...but I own a relatively low 240sx and when me and a friend did my TC bushing install, we used ramps and a jack...it was SO NICE and quick...

 

I tend to jack up the front first and then jack up the rear by the pumpkin.

Never had issues

 

thank you everyone so far for your inputs. i just got those rubber boots a copule of days ago, and they were a good idea! they are made of thick plastic/rubber and it actually makes the support point a little wider. not bad for about $15. hey, and harbor freight is also have a sale on that blue aluminum racing jack. it's really light, and a pretty reputable shop here in so cal has been using one for about 3 years and has had no problems with it (as far as leaks, etc).

 

Hey Dave, I haven't been under the car much...but where is the center lift point in the front? I've been struggling with how to get the front on Jackstands for a long time.

 

yeah where is the front center lift point??

 

the front center lift point is the middle of the front cross-member. it's the center hole about 6-8 inches forward of the catalytic converter bracket.

 

It's right behind the oil pan, as another description. I'll try and take a picture today.

 

Jackstands? Jackstands are for woosies.
Real men don't use jackstands, like this guy:

 

Here you go. It's the black, odd shaped piece with the 2 large bolts, right behind the oil cooler (which is the APS finned cooler on mine)

 

yeah thats what i thought. thanks for the picture. so the stands would go under the subframe?

 

You can put stands there, but I usually put them under the side jack points, not far behind the front wheels.

 

That's what I felt most comfortable with too when I changed my tranny fluid and really started looking under the car. If you find the lip under the door where the factory jack goes, and find the spot where you put it with the notches in the lip - look further towards the center of the car right behind those notches and notice that the metal in that area next to the lip is thicker than the rest of the surrounding metal. Almost like having a small square pad just for the jack stands directly behind the lip. I was pretty comfortable with that spot rather than any of the other frame or suspension points - but that's just me.

Look at the pic of the black and orange jack stand in post #12 from Kolia. You can do that in all four "corners".